The involuntary bankruptcy petition that several creditors filed Friday against Comcast SportsNet Houston sets up a “quasi-bankruptcy” procedure that could consume weeks or even months before a federal judge and the company’s owners determine if the case will move to a full-blown Chapter 11 proceeding, an attorney who specializes in bankruptcy cases said Saturday.

Jeffrey Erler with the Dallas law firm of Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail Shank said involuntary bankruptcy proceedings are relatively rare. He said several meetings among lawyers and company officials are likely in coming weeks, and there could be a full-blown trial to determine whether the involuntary petition should be converted to a Chapter 11 proceeding.

If the case becomes a voluntary Chapter 11 proceeding, it could require 60 to 90 days for the company to emerge from bankruptcy, Erler said.

Several affiliates of Comcast/NBC Universal who are seeking to force CSN Houston into bankruptcy asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur on Saturday to appoint an interim trustee to overseen network operations while the court decides whether the case will move to full Chapter 11 status.

Erler said that request was not a surprise, given the divisions among the three network partners – the Astros, Rockets and Comcast/NBC Universal.

He said the trustee, if appointed by the court, would have the authority to run the company and make daily business decisions, including, potentially, the power to negotiate carriage deals with such providers as DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse that do not carry CSN Houston. The trustee also could ask the judge to approve such agreements “if the trustee thinks it is in the best interest” of the company.

Such a request to the judge, Erler said, could be opposed by any party to the case, including one of the partners.

The Astros, who apparently have been at odds with CSN Houston management over carriage deals, have described the involuntary bankruptcy filing as improper, and Erler said the team could fight the request by objecting to the petitioning creditors who sought the declaration — National Digital Television Center of Centennial, Colo.; Comcast Sports Management Services LLC; Comcast SportsNet California; and Houston SportsNet Finance, based in Philadelphia, which has a $100 million loan to the partnership.

“I would expect some dispute because you have partners (in CSN Houston) serving as petitioning creditors,” he said. “It complicates matters because when you’re looking for consensus as to whether the company should be in bankruptcy, it’s hard to get that.

“The same problems that led them to this point don’t go away with the involuntary bankruptcy filing, and in some ways they are escalated.”

While the Astros said they object to the involuntary bankruptcy filing, they also complained that CSN Houston has not paid them their required rights fees for the last three months. That could complicate matters, Erler said, if the Astros want to fight to keep the company out of bankruptcy, which could result in a reorganization plan that could hamper their right to block distribution deals they feel are inadequate.

“That puts the Astros in the uncomfortable position of how do you argue that the company is paying its debts when you’re the party that alleges you’re not being paid?” Erler said. “You’re sort of giving credence to one of the key elements to the involuntary petition.”

Erler said if the company goes into full Chapter 11 mode, it could be restructured in a fashion that one party – the Astros, Rockets or Comcast/NBC – will no longer have the right to block a decision. As now configured, all decisions made by the four-member board must be unanimous.

“By using the involuntary strategy, you can get yourself a structure that allows you to reconfigure ownership, and hopefully in reconfiguring you can do that in a way where you won’t be hindered by the inability to get consensus to do what you want to do,” he said.